


Unexpected

by sendricamp



Category: Pitch Perfect
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-03
Updated: 2013-01-20
Packaged: 2017-11-23 11:43:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/621756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sendricamp/pseuds/sendricamp
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Life really liked throwing Beca a curve ball every now and then.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

He had left her standing in the middle of the crowded room, with a full cup of something. She knew she should have stayed in her dorm. Two hours of standing around -- and shitty music -- later, and Luke was back at her side. He apologized for running off but had to meet up with some friends. He didn’t leave her again, except for the two times he refilled her cup. He knew she was upset -- she had told him about the incident with the Bellas -- and he listened.

His hands found their way to her waist as they walked out of the garage, walking her backwards as she was on the tips of her toes, placing kisses along his collarbone. He wasn’t her type -- he was male, for one -- but he was there for her and he had that beautiful accent and his hands were strong and sure and she was drunk. She stumbled a few times and he easily picked her up, her legs wrapping around his waist as she pressed her lips to his, tasting the alcohol on his tongue.

His apartment was too far, her dorm just close enough. Spring Break, no Kimmy Jin, no nothing. She dropped her keys four times before she got them in the door, opening it and stepping inside, quickly pulling the girly purple blanket from the mattress, a blush creeping up her cheeks. She turned, noting the way he didn’t smile, he just smirked. “Are you sure about this? You’ve had a lot to drink,” he says, voice quiet as he stepped across the room, his hands finding her waist again.

She gripped his shirt in her hands, pulling him down to connect their lips. “Positive.”

He nodded, his hands sliding her shirt up and over her head, tossing it onto the floor before removing his own shirt. She let her hands explore, sliding down his chest before hooking into the belt loops on his jeans -- jeans that hung just right, she noticed -- pulling him closer to her, smiling as he ducked his head down to capture her mouth. His hands undid the buttons on her jeans, sliding his hands under the fabric as he lifted her up, unable to stifle the groan from his throat as her body rolled against his.

He turned, pressing her back to the wall, using his body as a weight while he reached into his back pocket, breaking the kiss. “Why’d you stop?” she mumbled, her lips finding the side of his neck.

“Protection,” he replied, opening his wallet and pulling out a condom before tossing the wallet to the floor. “You gonna let me move this to the bed? Because I am all for the wall.”

She pushed him back -- just enough to stand up -- and shimmied out of her jeans. He followed suit, watching as she removed her bra and underwear before tossing the pillows to the floor. He expertly opened the package and slid the condom on, hovering over her on the bed, his lips biting and sucking as he worked his way from her neck to her breasts. “Stop stalling,” she moaned, nails digging into his skin.

Smirking -- that fucking smirk! -- he pressed his mouth to hers before pushing into her, soaking up her moan as her hips picked up a fast paced rhythm. Her head fell back, eyes closed, not holding back on her vocal abilities. And she was vocal about it. Her legs wrapped around his perfect hips, pulling him as close to her as she could as he sped up. Without warning, he flipped them, thrusting his hips upward, hands gripping Beca’s hips tight enough that there would be bruising the next day.

With one loud shout of his name that fell into a moan, she fell over the edge, nails leaving marks in his shoulders as he came, letting her fall onto his chest, catching her breath. She rolled off of him, watching as he got up.

“Beca..” his voice trailed off.

“What?”

He looked over his shoulder at her. “It broke.”

She sat up, any signs of drunkenness completely gone from her system. “What?”

“The condom,” he said, sitting down on the edge of the bed. “It.. it broke.”

Beca ran her fingers through her hair. “Shit.” She climbed off the bed, grabbing her towels and wrapping herself in her robe before leaving the room. Luke threw on his jeans before following her, stopping her in the locker area of the showers.

He looked at her face, noting the tears in her eyes. “Don’t do that..” he whispered, wiping them away. “You don’t have anything to worry yourself over.”

“You’re only being sweet because you’ve been drinking,” she spat. “At what point before tonight did you even show that you had some semblance of a heart?”

He leaned against the wall, watching her.

“This was stupid! I didn’t even want to go to that stupid garage! I didn’t even want to drink! But you pushed a cup in my hand and then walked away for two fucking hours!” she yelled. “If you hadn’t loaded me up with alcohol, do you think that tonight would have happened had neither of us been drinking. You can’t even deny that.”

His eyebrow raised, crossing the aisle and putting his hands against the lockers on either side of her. “Do you really think that, Beca? Tell the truth. You were so busy pushing Jesse away that you never picked up on the signals. Why do you think I always sent him to get my food?”

Beca closed her eyes, leaning her head back. “I’m not even supposed to be into dudes,” she mumbled.

He kissed the top of her head, wrapping his arms around her tightly. “It’s going to be okay, I promise.”

“You’re right. I have nothing to worry about. At all,” she said, her arms sliding around his waist, walking towards the shower. “I think we need to take a cold shower to cool down,” she smirked, looking up at him. “By the way, if you were so into me, why did you spend the entire year calling me Becky?”

He laughed. “I wanted you to correct me, but instead you were the complete opposite of any other woman on this campus and you just let it go. You answered to the wrong name instead of correcting me. But every single time, you gave me this little look, like you knew that I knew your name was Beca, but you didn’t be the one to cave. It was rather endearing, really.”

She shook her head, hanging the towels on the rack before stepping into the stall. “Your jeans are gonna get wet,” she said, watching him backtrack to take them off before following her, pulling the curtain closed behind him. He put his hands on either side of her face, pressing their lips together. “I’m not into dudes.”

“I think you can make an exception for the rest of tonight,” he said, kissing her again.


	2. Chapter 2

“Chloe texted me about the Bellas,” she said, leaning against the desk. Luke looked up from his spot in the booth, moving his chair back so he could see her through the open door. “I guess this one team got kicked out of the finals because their hot-shot singer is actually a high school kid. She said the Bellas have a rehearsal tomorrow afternoon.”

“Are you going to go?” he asked, grabbing his lunch and heading out to the desk. Beca reached over, grabbing some of the chips from the plate before sitting down on his lap. In the few days since their drunken night, they had fallen into an easier friendship. Beca could only think to describe it as what she always thought relationships would be like, except there wasn’t anymore sex.

“I don’t know. I think I need to go apologize to Jesse, though. I treated him like a dick.” She turned to look at Luke, a smile on her face. “Don’t even say what is sitting on the tip of your tongue.”

He popped a chip into his mouth, smile on his face as his hands snaked around her waist. “My mouth is sealed,” he said. “Oh, so I got the reviews in on your nice little nighttime show over break.”

“How much trouble are you in for putting that alt girl on the air?” she asked, leaning into him.

“You get my job next year,” he replied.

She sat up, turning so she was facing him. “What?!”

He smiled wider, the look on Beca’s face absolutely contagious. “Yeah, you get to be station manager. They liked the way you can handle yourself. I, for once, knew it was going to happen once I, you know, got around to actually listening to your stuff.”

“Still pissed about that, by the way,” Beca said, looking at her watch and standing up. “I gotta get to class. See you tomorrow night?”

“Same time, same place,” he said, giving her a small wave. She grabbed her backpack and took off across campus, pulling her phone out of her pocket. Chloe had texted. Again.

_You are coming to rehearsal tomorrow, right?_

Beca rolled her eyes, tapping out a reply. _I don’t know, Chloe. I don’t think Aubrey wants me there._

_You make us better. Please. For me?_

The brunette bit down on her lip. _I’ll let you know._

\---

Jesse slammed the door in her face after accusing her of not even knowing what she was apologizing for. Her dad told her it was up to her what she had to do. So she went to the Bellas, and all hell was breaking loose. Aubrey let her back in, and surrendered the pitch pipe. They had all agreed to meet at the pool at seven, and the feeling in Beca’s chest when they worked together and let loose made her feel like she was on top of the world.

Luke laughed for ten minutes when she told him about it. She smacked his arm and moved to the other side of the couch, arms crossed over her chest. “Oh, come on! You can’t take it personally!” he said, moving closer to her. “I think it is awesome that you found something that makes you happy.” He was silent for a moment. “When are you going to tell Chloe you love her?”

Her head turned towards him so fast she was pretty sure she ended up with whiplash. “I’m not.. I don’t.. what?!”

He smirked. “I’ve seen the way you have looked at her all year when she comes to see you at the station, Beca.”

She shook her head, getting up from the couch and heading into the kitchen, grabbing two beers from the fridge before returning. “You don’t know what you are talking about.”

“Christ, Beca, you look at her the way Jesse and I look at you!” he said, rolling his eyes and taking one of the bottles from her. “You should tell her.”

“She doesn’t feel the same.. she has this dude, Tom, that I keep seeing her with.. plus, I don’t want to ruin a friendship.”

He shook his head, mumbling something about excuses. Beca stretched out, her legs draping over his lap as she watched him. “What?” he asked.

“Jesse slammed the door in my face today,” she mumbled, picking at the paper label on her glass. “I went to apologize.. I told him I left him voicemails and he curtly said that he got them, and then when I started to say Aubrey makes me crazy and that I was sorry I yelled at him, he told me that he wasn’t mad because I yelled at him. He threw out some line about me pushing anyone away who could ever care about me, which more often than not I do, and then he said I needed to figure it out because he was done with whatever.”

“What did he mean by whatever? It wasn’t like you two were dating.”

“Exactly!” she exclaimed, pointing her finger at him. “That is what confused me about it! I never once showed interest in wanting to be more than friends with him and he goes and calls my dad when I get arrested and then jumps into Aubrey yelling at me.. it’s like, if I wanted his help, I would have fucking asked for it! I don’t need him trying to weasel his way into my life anymore than I had already let him in.” She took a few drinks before resting her head on the back of the couch, her eyes meeting Lukes. “Am I a bitch?”

“Yes.”

She kicked his leg.

“I mean it in the nicest way, Beca.”

“How can you call me a bitch and be nice about it?”

“You haven’t shut me out.”

She remained silent.

“I’ve watched you interact with people.. the way you interact with Jesse is more of a cold demeanor, but I think that has to do more with all of his unwanted advances. Want to know a secret?”

“From you? Always.”

“I never went to the garage that night. I decided to drive up and watch that stupid a cappella thing, and I loved what you did. True, I never pegged you as an a cappella girl, but seeing it actually happen, for that brief moment.. Aubrey was the only one who wasn’t smiling. I saw the look on Chloe’s face. She kept glancing at you, with this grin. I am sure she doesn’t think you are a bitch. You need to ask her about it.”

“Stop being so wise. You’re twenty two, not fifty.”

He nodded. “Alright. I will stop pushing this whole Chloe thing on you, but you can’t put any blame on me if you miss your chance, got it?”

Beca rolled her eyes, finishing her beer and setting the glass on the table before standing up. “I am going to bed.” Without waiting for a response, she walked to the bedroom, climbing into the bed and pulling the blankets around her. She still had no idea what Jesse expected her to figure out, but she wasn’t about to lose sleep over it. Her eyes were almost closed when the door creaked open, Luke climbing into the bed behind her and wrapping his arms around her.

“I am sorry if I upset you,” he said, pulling her close. “I didn’t mean to. I just want you to be happy.”

“Who says I am not happy right now? I get to spend my nights with someone who no longer has an interest in getting in my pants. It’s relaxing, you know, not being expected to make out or fuck or anything. We can just lay here, like this, and that is okay. I am actually happy with it,” she mumbled, her hand finding his and linking them together. “I mean, parts of it feel foreign to me, because I spent every single day since that shower incident with Chloe wishing it was her holding me, but you know, whatever.”

“You have it bad.”

“Do you want me to stay over or not?” she snapped.

“Sorry,” he whispered.

“Don’t make someone regret they opened up to you, okay?”

She felt him nod.

\---

Finals were in three days, and Beca couldn’t do anything but stand back and smile at the women in front of her. She had been iffy about the choreography that her and Aubrey had come up with, but seeing everything put together really showed that they could do anything. The blonde dismissed everyone, turning to Beca as the auditorium cleared out, Chloe hanging by the door. “I have to ask you something,” she said, watching as Beca grabbed her bag. “You went on and on and on about needing new songs, but then you take something from the eighties and throw it in the middle of the set. Why?”

Beca shrugged. “I wanted to apologize to someone, and it was the best way I could think how.”

Aubrey nodded, watching her carefully. “You want to come back to the apartment with Chloe and I? We were gonna order some pizza and watch a movie.”

The brunette looked at her watch. “Yeah, I got a few hours to kill. Plus, I’m starving,” she added, smiling at Chloe as they approached the redhead. The remained silent on the walk back to the apartment, save for Aubrey calling and ordering the pizza. It got there five minutes after they did, and all it took was one sniff of the food before Beca was running to the bathroom.

She finished emptying her stomach and leaned back against the tub, her eyes closed. When she opened her eyes, Chloe and Aubrey were looking at her. “Are you okay?” Chloe asked, worry etched into her features.

Beca nodded, grabbing the toilet paper and wiping her mouth off. “Yeah. I guess my stomach just didn’t like the thought of pizza.” Or cereal. Or toast. Or anything else she has tried to eat in the past week. Her head did the math for her. One month ago. She let her head fall back against the tub, a dull thunk resounding through the room. Her and Luke needed to have a talk.


	3. Chapter 3

Beca led the Bellas off the stage, easily finding Jesse. He was a weirdo, but she felt like kissing him anyways. She pulled away to join the Bellas on stage as the new national champions, pulling Jesse aside backstage as her friends carried the trophy away. “Look.. that kiss.. that was more for you than me.”

“What?” he asked, the smile fading from his face.

“There is someone else I want, but I thought you should get your ending kiss. I would love having you as a friend, Jesse, but you aren’t what I am looking for. You aren’t what I want,” she said, looking at the ground. “I just.. yeah.” She turned and walked away before he could say anything, slowly making her way to the hotel, opting to walk instead of piling onto the shuttle. Her phone buzzed when she was entering the lobby of the hotel.

She wanted it to be a text, but Chloe’s name was flashing on the screen. She denied the call and shot off a quick text telling her that she was on her way up. Chloe was standing outside of the room -- which had a large amount of noise coming from it -- when she arrived. The redhead held out her beer, giving Beca a questioning look when she turned it down. “Since when do you turn down beer?”

“I just don’t feel in the mood to drink.”

Chloe closed the hotel room door, looping her arm in Beca’s and walking them away from the noise. “What’s wrong?”

“Does something have to be wrong?” she snapped. Her face softened when she saw the look of hurt flash across Chloe’s face. “Sorry. I just.. I have a lot going on. I mean, the Bellas are champions and Aubrey wants me to be captain next year, and my dad said he would pay my way to Los Angeles and this whole thing with Lu..” she stopped, her hands flying to cover her mouth.

“What thing with Luke?”

Beca shook her head. “Not important.”

Chloe smirked. “You hooked up with him, didn’t you?”

“Yes! Fine! There! Happy?! I did. I hooked up with Luke but then I told him that I don’t really dig dudes and now we have this friendship that is basically a relationship without the fucking and it just keeps messing with my head because I feel like if I actually want to be with someone else I have to stop what I have with Luke and I don’t want to because he makes me feel so fucking safe.”

“Beca, breathe,” Chloe said, putting a hand on the younger woman's shoulder. “I didn’t actually expect you to answer that way. I was just trying to tease you. I’m sorry.”

Beca looked at her, taking in her eyes and the questions in them and the way her lips were slightly turned down at the sides, like she wanted to frown but didn’t think it would be the best thing. Before she could second guess herself, Beca grabbed the sides of Chloe’s face and pressed their lips together. A low moan formed in Chloe’s throat as she wrapped her arms around the smaller womans waist, making sure she didn’t drop the still full beer in her hand.

Beca pulled away first, her hands sliding from Chloe’s cheeks to her shoulders. “Wow.”

“I shouldn’t have done that.”

She started to back away, stopped by the arms still linked around her waist. “I didn’t know how bad I actually wanted that to happen until just now.”

Beca shook her head. “I can’t do this right now, Chloe. I can’t. You are running off to Chicago with Aubrey in two months and I am either going to be in Atlanta or Los Angeles. It would never amount to anything,” she said, prying Chloe’s arms apart and backing up. Chloe was too fast for her, grabbing her arm and pulling her close.

“Don’t run,” she mumbled, lowering their bodies to the ground as Beca started crying. “How about we make a little deal, okay?”

“Like?” she sniffed.

“At least let me take you out on a date. Beca, we could do long distance. Chicago isn’t as far as you would think. I can hope on a plane every other weekend and fly down to see you,” she said, making the brunette look at her. “I care about you, and as a friend I love you.. and I want to know if that can be more. I want to take this chance, because I know everything happens for a reason. You walked into my life for a reason, and I still am not exactly sure what that is, but I am not about to let you run right out of it using some stupid excuse.”

Beca knew she should tell Chloe everything. She wanted to tell her everything. There was a nagging at the back of her mind that thought the redhead would give up if she told her the truth. She was pregnant. A stupid drunken night had gotten her pregnant at eighteen. There was going to be no Los Angeles for her, even if she wanted to leave Barden. Her father was going to cut her off when he found out. He might even kill Luke, thinking he took advantage of her.

She was beyond scared and those blue eyes were watching her face, taking in the tears and the way Beca knew her face scrunched up when she cried and in that moment the only thing she wanted to do was run, but instead she found herself unable to move. She stayed put in the hotel hallway, her hands clinging to Chloe’s like it was her last lifeline. So many words that she wanted to tell her, but none that wanted to even make their appearance. Chloe realized nothing else was going to be said, so she took a breath and stood up. “Come on. We can go to my room. I can text Aubrey and let her know you are in there so she.. nevermind. I will just let her know you are staying with me tonight.”

Chloe led them down the hall, letting them into a room. Beca immediately noticed there were three bags. “Who else is staying in here? Does.. is Aubrey seeing someone?” Beca asked, smiling despite her mood. Chloe bit down on her lip, causing Beca to let out a laugh. “Who?”

“I’m not allowed to tell you.” She focused on her phone, tapping something out before looking back to Beca. She opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by the buzzing of the phone. “Bree? Yeah. No, Beca is fine. She just isn’t in the party mood right now. We are in the room. No, I didn’t tell her that. Well, were you told that I am allowed to share that information? When will she be back? Are you going to call her before then? Okay. Yes. I will see you in a few minutes. Bye.”

“What in the hell was that about?”

Chloe shook her head, sitting down on one of the beds, patting the area next to her. Beca joined her, linking their hands again. “Can I take you out on a date?” she asked, her voice quiet. Beca hesitated for a moment, taking a deep breath before she smiled and nodded, looking up as the door opened.

Aubrey closed it behind her, face flushed, wobbling slightly. “You two are missing one hell of a party. I told them to start toning it down, though, because the last thing we need to do is get kicked out of the hotel.” She looked at her phone. “Alice is on her way up,” she said, looking at Chloe. “I told her that Beca was staying in here tonight and I guess based on all of the good things she has heard about her from you, she is fine with her, despite how against Bella tradition we went for Finals.”

“We may have went against tradition, but it got us a win finally, didn’t it?” Chloe said, rolling her eyes.

Aubrey turned her attention to Beca. “You are going to be meeting my girlfriend. I don’t want you breathing a word about it to anyone, understand? It isn’t like we are ashamed of it or anything, but we are cautious.”

Beca nodded. “Aubrey has been dating the old leader of the Bellas, Alice. She made our lives a living hell in our junior year, but that was because she thought we were sleeping together, which meant Aubrey would have been going around behind her back. It was actually really amusing, now that I look back on it. They got back together over the summer.. she lives and works up in Chicago..” Chloe explained.

“That’s why the two of you are moving to Chicago?” Beca asked. Aubrey nodded. “Well, hey, that’s pretty cool. This gives me a distraction from everything else.”

Aubrey sat down on the other bed as the door opened. Alice gave a nod to Chloe before sitting next to Aubrey. “The infamous Beca,” she said, extending her hand to the brunette. “I’ve heard many things about you.”

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” she asked, taking the offered hand and giving it a quick shake before retreating to her spot next to Chloe. Alice gave her hand a little shake, indicating some of both. Beca chuckled. “Good. I have a reputation to uphold.”

“Alright, introductions are done. Now do you want to tell me why you are sitting in here instead of helping to celebrate all the a cappella history that was made tonight?” Aubrey asked.

Chloe looked at Beca, giving her a small nod. “I am just a little out of it. I hooked up with someone a while ago and the friendship I have formed with him since then is something I don’t want to ever have to get rid of. He.. he was the only one there for me when everyone else shut me out of their lives.. or.. well.. when I shut everyone else out of my life. So I have this perfect environment to go to every night, but I am scared that if I really let my feelings for someone else out,” she squeezes Chloe’s hand, “then I will have to give up this safety and security that he offers.”

Alice and Aubrey both looked at the way Beca was holding onto Chloe’s hands, smirks on their faces. “Who is he?” Aubrey asked. Beca glances at Chloe, watching her give her another encouraging nod.

“Luke.”

“Wait, that guy who works at the radio station?” Alice asked. Beca nodded. “I thought he was a total douchebag.”

Beca let a laugh escape. “I thought that too, for the longest time, actually. Then Jesse just got him to listen to my mixes and he invited me to this party, and I went, and it was really, really stupid to get so drunk.. it isn’t like he took advantage of me, though,” she quickly clarified, seeing the look on Aubrey’s face. “If anything, I took advantage of him. He asked me more than once if I was sure, and I told him I was. I thought he hated me.. I mean, he never even called me the right name! But he knew it.. all along.. and he was always sending Jesse away to get him lunch when he saw that I was getting annoyed with the unwanted advances.”

“So, what is this friendship like, then?”

“We hang out at his apartment. We curl up in bed at night. We do everything but make out and have sex. He knows me, and knows what makes me tick, and he.. he knows who I want to be with, and he knows why I won’t pursue it.” Her stomach was turning again. “I think I am going to be sick,” she mumbled, moving from the bed into the bathroom, Aubrey jumping up after her, pulling her hair back. She vaguely heard Chloe telling the blonde that her and Alice were going to go find a store to get some bottles of water for Beca before the door closed.

When she was pretty sure every single item in her stomach had been released, she leaned back, letting Aubrey use a wet washcloth to wipe her face off before placing a cold one on her forehead. “So, when did you find out you were pregnant?”


	4. Chapter 4

“It’s just a stomach bug,” Beca said, her eyes locked on Aubrey’s.

“Yeah, see, Chloe might believe that line, but I am not an idiot, Beca. I suspected something was up when you got sick at our apartment. Does Luke know?” she asked, her voice soft. She moved from the edge of the tub to the floor, her arms wrapping around Beca as the younger woman curled into her, starting to cry.

“Yeah,” she choked out.

“Did you use a condom?”

“I am not an idiot, even when drunk. It broke. I freaked out about it but Luke calmed me down and then I was getting so, so sick and so I peed on a fucking stick. I have an actual doctors appointment once we get back to Atlanta.”

“What does Luke think?”

Beca sniffed, her fingers tangling in Aubrey’s shirt. “He is taking it better than I am. He said he is behind me with whatever I decide to do.”

Aubrey was quiet for a moment. “Do you know what you are going to do?”

“I don’t know.”

They remained silent, Beca’s head popping up when Chloe’s laugh was heard in the hallway.

“Don’t tell Chloe. Whatever you do.. don’t.. just don’t tell her.”

“I won’t,” she mumbled. Aubrey slowly helped Beca stand up, keeping an arm around her waist. They made it to Chloe’s bed, Beca curling up on her side. Aubrey turned, grabbing Alice’s hand and leading her out of the room as Chloe sat down on the bed next to Beca.

“Are you okay?” she asked, her voice quiet.

Beca nodded, closing her eyes tightly. “Stomach flu. I just want to sleep. I will be fine, you know. You can go back to the party.” The bed shifted, Chloe slowly climbing over Beca before wrapping her arms around the younger woman.

“I would rather be here with you,” she said, pulling Beca close. Beca knew she couldn’t hold the tears back anymore. She clutched at Chloe’s hands and let herself openly cry, the loud and violent sobs slowly ebbing into silence as she drifted off into sleep.

\---

“Weren’t you supposed to go out with Chloe tonight?” Luke asked, coming into the apartment to see Beca stretched out on the couch, headphones around her neck. She shook her head. “You cancelled on her again?” She nodded. “You need to stop this, Beca.”

“Stop what? I am exhausted all the time from trying to take it easy while still running around like a chicken with my head cut off!” she snapped, sitting up. “I feel like shit about it, Luke, but I just.. I can’t. I can’t even tell her about the baby! Do you really think she would still want me if she knew I was knocked up?”

Luke sighed, sitting down on the couch, holding his arms out, watching her curl into him. “I think she would love you anyways, Beca.”

“I would be nothing but a burden on her if she knew. I am not like you, Luke! I am just a freaking kid still. I am not ready to be a parent. How can you be so calm with everything?”

He rested his hand on her stomach, smiling as he felt the ever so small bump. “To be honest, I started getting into the parental mindset the second I realized it broke. I didn’t want to tell you that, though, because you were in a panic and I didn’t want to make matters worse. Beca, I am happy. Sure, the circumstances could have been better or more controlled, but I am happy.”

“I can’t be happy about this.. what does that say about me? I am sitting here lying to everyone. My dad is going to be a grandpa and I haven’t even told him. I don’t even think he knows I am sexually active. He is going to be so pissed off at me, and I don’t know what to do!” It took her a moment to realize she was crying. Stupid hormones.

“Tell me what else is bothering you,” he said, watching her throw one leg over his lap, straddling him. Instead of answering, she grabbed the sides of his face and pressed her lips to his, throwing her emotions into the kiss. He put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her back, his eyes searching her face. “You know we can’t do that..”

She climbed off the couch and stood in the middle of the room. “What does it matter?! I’ve blown off Chloe so many times she is going to be done with me. Maybe.. if I try hard enough.. I can make something between us real. I can love you and then I can love this baby. I don’t know what else to do, Luke! I am so confused and lost. I don’t know what to do anymore! I mean, for fucks sake, there was a whole two week span where I actually considered getting rid of it!” she yelled, tears rolling down her face.

“What stopped you?” he asked, standing up and pulling her to him, holding her despite her efforts to push him away. “What stopped you from doing that, Beca? Be honest.”

She let herself sob, her hits turning into clinging to his shirt. “You were so happy. I told you and you had this smile on your face and then you started clearing out that bedroom to turn it into a nursery and you were just so fucking happy and I couldn’t take that away from you. At least it can have one parent who loves it.”

Luke was quiet, thinking carefully about his next words. “Beca, you said it yourself, you are practically still a kid, so you are allowed to be scared and confused and shocked. This is the first time I have ever faced being a father, and yeah, that makes me happy. But part of what makes me happy is you, because you have the ability inside of you to be an amazing mother. You observe things. You pay attention.”

“Aren’t you scared?” she mumbled, her face pressed against his chest.

He let out a soft laugh. “Beca, I am terrified.”

\---

The door to the apartment slammed open, Luke stepping back with the force of which the redhead had pushed it once he turned the handle. “Where the fuck is she?” she snapped, looking around the room. Beca emerged from the spare bedroom, hurriedly closing the door when she saw Chloe. “You! You are a bitch, Beca Mitchell! You tell me I can take you on a date and then you spend two months constantly brushing me off and you expect me to be completely okay with it?!”

“Chloe, you have no idea what you are trying to get involved in!” she replied, slightly raising her voice.

“What? Your relationship with Luke?! Beca, I am going to be a thousand miles from here! I don’t care what you do as long as you don’t cheat on me! If it makes you feel safe to stay here, then I am fine with that Beca. Just promise me that if I fly down on weekends I can have you all to myself!”

“I have a friend I can stay with so you two could have the apartment,” Luke offered.

“Can I talk to you for a minute?” Beca said, her voice clipped. Luke shrugged at Chloe before following Beca into the spare room. She slammed the door. “What are you doing?” she whispered. “I can’t spend any time with her that she would want to cuddle. In case you somehow forgot in the past few minutes of your life, I am four months pregnant. I have a fucking baby bump. The second she wants to cuddle she is going to know and I don’t want that. I can’t keep her out of this room if I am sound asleep or if I have to go somewhere,” she hissed, motioning to the walls around her. The nursery really was coming together, the only thing missing was a name over where the crib would go.

“At least let her take you out on a date, Beca, please? You spend so much time in this apartment and that worries me. You can wear one of my shirts if it will help you feel like you are more covered, okay?” His voice was quiet, and Beca hated how it could instantly calm her. Beca wiped her eyes, nodding. She ducked past him, back into the living room, noticing Chloe still held her spot by the door.

“I don’t know what I did wrong, Beca. You didn’t even come to my graduation. Did you even stop to think how that hurt me? How that hurt Aubrey? Every single Bella was there, except you,” she said, tears in her voice. “I just want you to tell me what I did to make you hate me.”

Beca crossed the room, her lips pressing lightly against Chloe’s. “I don’t hate you and you didn’t do anything wrong. This is all on me.” She felt Chloe’s hands start to move towards her waist and she stepped back, pulling the loose button-up she had stolen from Luke closed, her arms crossing over her chest.

“I didn’t do anything, but you can kiss me and then deny me being able to touch you? To say I am confused right now is the understatement of the century.”

The shorter woman shook her head. “I just have a lot going on in my head right now, okay? I know I have been a dick, and I know I can never repay you or Aubrey for skipping out on your graduation, but I am still trying to figure them out and it is taking a toll on the people I care about the most. I mean, my dad and I are back on good terms and I have already started shutting him out again without having a valid reason to do so!” she said, running her fingers through her hair. “Am I too late?”

Chloe shook her head, wiping the tears from her eyes. “How is thing going to work, though, when you won’t let me touch you? I was serious, Beca. I will fly down here every single weekend just to spend time with you. I want this and I want to make it work. Please. Tell me how we can make this work.”

Beca sighed. “I want it, too, you know. I just.. I can’t have you touching me right now. I barely even let Luke touch me right now,” she said, taking the look on Chloe’s face to mean Luke had nodded from his spot somewhere behind her. “I would like to see you every weekend. I do want to. But once school starts up again, my weekends are going to be devoted to the Bellas. I won’t have the free time you deserve.”

“I have two weeks before I head up to Chicago. Can I spend that two weeks with you? Please?” Chloe asked, taking a small step towards Beca. She reached out, easily grabbing the younger woman’s hands. Beca nodded, a small smile on her face. Chloe leaned in, placing a kiss on her lips. “I want to take you out to dinner tonight. I can be back in three hours to pick you up, yeah?”

“Okay.”

“Good.”


	5. Chapter 5

Beca sat down on the couch, hands on her stomach as Luke kneeled in front of her. “Did he really kick?” he asked, the smile on his face making him look like a little kid. Beca nodded, taking his hand and resting it on the lower area of her stomach. A few seconds passed before he laughed, moving onto the couch and pressing their foreheads together. “It makes me so happy to see you smiling about this, Beca. I told you this was going to be amazing.”

“We need to settle on a name so we can finish the nursery, you know. Well, you can finish it. I am no longer allowed to be near paint,” she said, leaning back. “I am going to lunch with my dad tomorrow. I plan on telling him about the baby. I don’t know how I am going to word it yet, but he needs to know.” She bit down on her lip. “I don’t think I should tell him you are the dad.”

“Or you could be completely honest with him instead of hiding more things,” Luke said, letting Beca lean into him. “I know what he thinks about the radio station weirdos. I don’t think me being the father of the baby is going to cause any problems in your relationship. The fact that you can sit there and tell your dad that this was a mistake and not planned but that I am still here and doing everything I can to help might make it a little easier for him to take in.”

Beca nodded, yawning. “I think I am going to go to bed,” she said, looking at her watch. “It’s almost midnight. Are you coming to bed?”

He shook his head. “Not just yet. I want to touch up a few things in the nursery. You go ahead and get some sleep and I promise I will be quiet when I come in.” He kissed the top of her head before disappearing into the other room. Beca made her way to the bedroom, climbing into the bed, her hand resting on her stomach, smiling when she felt the flutter again. She slowly let sleep take over, waking up to the sound of Luke’s alarm going off. “Sorry,” he mumbled, reaching over her to shut it off. “Forgot I had that set.”

She rolled over in bed, curling her face into his chest as his arms wrapped around her. “I had a bad dream.”

“You wanna talk about it?” he asked, gently rubbing her back. He felt her head shake. “Then we don’t have to talk about it.”

The room remained silent for a moment before Luke realized Beca was crying. “I hate these hormones thing. I am so sick of crying over the smallest things. I just want to be happy again.”

“In just a few more months, all of the mood swings are going to be worth it, Beca.”

“I am going to have to tell Chloe eventually. Everyone, really. I might be able to stay out of sight long enough to have the baby, but then I am going to have to explain to the Bellas that I can’t be at every rehearsal because I have to take care of my kid. Why did I even think I could hide this? Why did I even think it was a good idea?” she asked. “Aubrey knows about it.”

“How long has she known?”

“Finals. It was the third or fourth time in a few days I had gotten sick around her and when we were alone, she flat out asked me how long ago I had found out. She promised me she wouldn’t tell Chloe, and since I have yet to receive an angry phone call, I guess she has kept that secret for me. So, I really do owe her one.” She yawned, pulling herself closer to Luke. Instead of continuing their conversation, she let sleep take over again.

The sun was coming in through the window when she finally woke up -- just after noon according to the clock -- and her phone was buzzing against the wooden nightstand. She grabbed it, noting her dads name on the screen, before sliding her thumb across to accept the call. “Hey,” she mumbled. “Yeah, I was alseep. It’s fine. I needed to get up anyways. Actually, can you pick up the usual from the diner and I will just meet you at your place? Okay. Love you, too, dad.” She ended the call and turned over, noting that Luke wasn’t in the bed.

Pulling herself up slowly, she opted for a pair of sweatpants and an oversized hoodie of Luke’s. She went into the living room, grabbing her shoes before sitting on the couch next to Luke, who had his eyes focused on the television. “Morning, sleepyhead.”

“It’s afternoon, now,” she replied, a smile playing at the corner of her lips. She put her shoes on before standing back up. “I’ll be back in a little while. I will either be okay or I will be crying, depending on how this goes.” He gave her hand a light squeeze before she left, her heart pounding in her chest the entire drive to her dads house. She knocked on the door, smiling when Sheila gave her a kind smile before stepping aside to let her in. “Hi.”

“Good afternoon, Beca. Your dad is in the kitchen,” she said. Beca had to admit the woman was nice. Her dad cared about her and she cared about her dad, and she made her best effort, despite Beca’s attitude, to be nice to the eighteen year old. “Are you feeling okay? You look a little pale.”

Beca chuckled, following the woman into the kitchen. “I’m always pale,” she joked. “I guess I have just been spending more time inside the past few months that I just haven’t remembered to get some sunlight in my life.” She sat down at the island, smiling at her dad as he slid a plate of food in front of her. Sheila turned to leave, and Beca didn’t know what possessed her to do it, but the words slipped out. “You can stay. I need to talk to the both of you about something.”

Warren looked at his daughter carefully. “Is this about your choice for Los Angeles?” he asked.

Beca shook her head. “I am going to stay at Barden. I mean, I led the Bellas to a victory and Aubrey named me captain for the team now.. so I can’t really abandon them. But.. what I wanted to tell you is slightly more important than that.” She took a deep breath. “All I ask is that you don’t interrupt me because it has taken me a while to get up the courage to tell you this and if you stop me I might not be able to get it all out.”

Sheila nodded first, closely followed by Warren.

“Over spring break, I went to a party with Luke, the guy who runs the radio station. I got drunk, and he got drunk, and we slept together. Dad, I know that look and it was completely my idea, I promise. I was not wormed into anything I didn’t want to do, okay? It was all on me. We used a condom, but it broke. Long story short, I’m pregnant. I was scared to tell you because it isn’t like Luke and I are dating -- we are friends, though -- and he is so excited to be a dad but I was terrified to tell you because I have worked so hard to try and let you back in and have you care about me and I just didn’t want you to be disappointed with me.”

Her eyes found her dads, trying to read his expression, but failing. Sheila was strangely silent, having taken a seat at the island at some point in the middle of her confession. The silence in the room felt like it was drowning her, and it took all of her effort not to get up and run away.

“Please say something,” she mumbled, tears in her eyes.

Warren stood up, taking the few steps to Beca and wrapping his arms around her, kissing the top of her head. “Before I say anything else, I want you to know that I am not disappointed in you,” he said. “I want to sit down with you and Luke, though, and ask you both some questions. When can this happen?”

Beca pulled back, digging her phone out of her bag. “I can text him right now and we can go over to his place,” she replied, tapping out the message. “You can come too, Sheila..” she said, her voice trailing off when her dad shook his head. Beca stayed put while Warren took his wifes arm and led her out of the room. Giving them a minute, waiting to hear the office door close, she got up and headed down the hall, stopping just short of the door.

“I don’t see why you don’t want me going,” Sheila said, her voice raised. “You go on and on about wanting the two of us to connect when she makes the effort, you tell her no!”

“That is because I know anything you would have to say would upset her, and she doesn’t need that right now. So, get it out. Tell me what you want to know and I will definitely make sure to word it in a way that won’t set her off,” Warren said, his tone even.

“Fine, what I want to ask her? Is she fully prepared for what having a child can do? She is not going to have any time for this little singing thing and her dreams of being a DJ are going to go down the drain! If she was as smart as she makes herself out to be, she would have taken care of this problem when it first arose,” she snapped.

Beca could feel her jaw drop, quickly moving back to the kitchen before either of the adults left the room and caught her. Warren appeared minutes later, grabbing his keys and wallet. “So, I can follow you to his apartment?” he asked, watching Beca get into her car. She nodded, knowing that if she opened her mouth, everything she had heard would come spilling out.

They arrived at the apartment roughly twenty minutes later, Beca leading her dad up the stairs. She unlocked the door, letting them in and smirking when she realized there was going to be a closet filled to the brim with anything that had been laying on the floor. “Dr. Mitchell,” Luke said, shaking Warren’s hand before showing him to the couch.

“I am going to cut straight to the point here. Have both of you fully considered what it takes to be parents?” he asked, meeting Luke’s eyes. “The time and the effort. I am by no means a perfect example of a father, but I tried and I am still trying. Beca is my only child, and I want what is best for her. I don’t want to have her calling me in the middle of the night telling me that it go to be too much for you and you left her.”

Luke kept his eyes locked with Warren’s, his hand holding tightly to Beca’s. “My father walked out on my mum when she was eight months pregnant with me. I grew up without any solid father figure in my life and had to watch as my mum did everything she could for us. I never want to be the type of human my father was. I never plan on leaving this baby’s life, or Beca’s. She is my best friend. I know this is going to be hard, especially on her with school and Bellas and still having a dream to pursue, but I am going to be there for her and the baby.”

“Beca, this is going to put you half a semester behind in school, you are aware of that, right?”

She nodded.

“If this hadn’t happened, were you still going to stay at Barden?” he asked, his focus fully on her.

“I meant what I said, dad. I have the Bellas. I can’t just up and leave them. I may not be able to perform with them this school year, but I can still teach them the songs and arrangements,” she replied. “I am not as sure about this as Luke is. I am terrified because I am not even nineteen yet and I sometimes think it was stupid to let that night happen..” her voice trailed off, looking at her hands. “Dad, I heard what Sheila said. About how I should have just gotten rid of it.”

Warren put his hands over his face for a moment, breathing deeply. “Beca..”

“Please don’t sit there and tell me she didn’t mean it. Because I know she did. This is why I can’t get along with her. She likes to think she knows me and she knows what is best for me, but that is bullshit and we both know it. Why do you think I never come over for dinner? I try and avoid her at all costs because I know she doesn’t like me, she doesn’t care about me and I know she doesn’t give two shits about what is best for me.”

“I wasn’t going to tell you that. I knew she was going to say something, and that is why I didn’t want her coming over here. We don’t need you getting upset over anything, understand? Just relax. Sheila doesn’t factor into this at all. You are my daughter and I care about you and that is what matters. You are allowed to be scared. Both of you are allowed to be scared.”

Beca nodded. “Good.” She was quiet for a moment, trying to regain her composure before she stood up. “Come with me.” She led her dad to the nursery, opening the door slowly. “We have been working on this for a couple of months now. The only thing we need to do in it.. we want to put his name over there where the crib will go.”

Warren turned to Beca, a smile on his face. “A boy?”

She nodded again, smiling. “Yeah. We found out yesterday morning. And he kicked last night!” she added, laughing. “It felt so weird.. like.. butterflies or something.”

“I know I want his middle name to be Theo. It means gift,” Luke said, noticing Beca’s look. “Because no matter what led up to it, he is a gift.”

“If you picked the middle name, does that mean I get to pick his first name?” Beca asked, smiling at him. “Would it be stupid if I wanted to name him Lyric?” she asked, her voice quiet. “I want him to have a music related name.”

“Lyric Theo,” Warren said, his arm going around Beca’s shoulders. Luke moved across the room, grabbing the pencil that was sitting on the dresser, easily sketching out the words on the wall.

“I’ll paint it tomorrow,” he said, turning to smile at Beca.

\--

“Luke!” Beca yelled, panic filling her voice. “Luke!”

He ran into the bedroom, stopping his tracks when he saw how pale Beca looked. His eyes went to her hands, which were shaking, covered in blood. “Shit,” he said, quickly moving to her side, his phone already pressed to his ear. “I need an ambulance. My friend.. she is five and a half months pregnant and she is bleeding really bad,” he said, panic in his own voice now. He listened to the voice on the phone for a minute. “Beca, when did this start?” he asked.

“I had a backache last night and then I woke up and I was bleeding. Luke, what’s happening?” she asked.

He kissed the top of her head. “She said her back was hurting last night and she woke up and she was bleeding.” He nodded, rattling off their address and apartment number. He hung up the phone, his arm going around her waist and helping her stand up carefully. “Come on, we are going to make sure we are in the hallway.”

“I’m scared. What’s happening? I can’t lose him now, Luke, can I?” she asked.

He didn’t answer, but Beca didn’t miss the tears in his eyes.

“Luke! Answer me!”

“It’s going to be okay. You are going to be fine. Lyric is going to be fine,” he whispered, kissing the top of her head, leaning her against the wall by the door. “It is going to be fine.”


	6. Chapter 6

Chloe walked into the radio station, taking her sunglasses off. She had stopped by the apartment, slightly frustrated when she found no one home. No one was at the desk, so she pushed the door into the studio open, seeing Luke sitting in the booth. He looked up at the light, jumping up from his chair when he saw Chloe. By the time she reached the door to the booth, he was leaning against it. “Where would I be able to find Beca?” she asked.

“She’s uh.. she’s in the hospital,” he mumbled. Chloe looked closer, noticing the redness in his eyes. “I was going to call you about it, but she said she wanted to tell you herself. I guess she was going to call in a few days. but now you are here.. so.. yeah.”

“Is she okay?” she asked, sitting down on the edge of the desk. “What happened?”

He shook his head, putting a hand over his eyes. He stepped back into the booth, writing something down before handing it to Chloe and closing the door behind him. She looked down, seeing the hospital name and a room number scribbled on it. She tapped on the glass, catching Luke’s attention. He shook his head, waving her away.

She made her way back to her car and drove the twenty minutes to the hospital. Silently making her way to the room, she gently knocked on the door before entering. Beca looked up at her, face pale and filled with sadness. “Hey,” she said, moving to the bed.

“How’d you find me?”

Chloe inhaled, hearing how weak Beca sounded. “I went to the station and saw Luke. He didn’t say much. What happened?” she asked, her hand linking easily with Beca’s.

The younger woman shook her head, new tears fighting to fall. “It isn’t important.”

“Beca, you are in the hospital. Obviously it must have some sense of importance.” She brought Beca’s knuckles to her lips, kissing them gently. “Please talk to me.”

“I was pregnant,” she mumbled, closing her eyes as she rested her head back on the pillow.

Chloe opened her mouth to reply, the color draining from her face at the use of the word was.

“Five months along, his name was going to be Lyric. The doctors don’t know what happened. They say sometimes there doesn’t have to be a reason.. sometimes it just.. happens. Luke was so excited. I was excited. The spare room? It was going to be his nursery. Luke painted it and he had painted Lyric’s name on the wall where the crib was going to go. Everything was supposed to be fine, but then it wasn’t.”

“Beca..”

“This is my fault.”

“No..”

“It is, though! I tried to hide it from everyone and this is what I deserve for being scared and ashamed but it doesn’t really fucking matter anymore, does it? I messed everything up.”

Chloe remained silent, unsure of what to say.

“It did something to me.. inside.. I don’t know what the doctor said. They like to use fancy words and shit.. but.. Chloe,” she turned, her eyes meeting the redheads, “I can’t have kids. Like, it fucked me up so bad that I can’t get pregnant again. I am eighteen and anything I wanted towards a family has just been ripped away from me.”

The redhead stood up, moving to the other side of the bed and sitting down in the chair, her head going between her knees. Her head was spinning. Beca had been pregnant. “That was why you didn’t let me touch you,” she mumbled. “Because I would have felt your stomach and that was a risk you didn’t want to take. I still don’t get why you couldn’t tell me. I could have been there for you. I wouldn’t have even gone to Chicago with Aubrey and Alice. I would have stayed here with you, Beca.” She took a few deep breaths, meeting those blue eyes that seemed to have had the life drained out of them, so to speak.

“Chloe, this wasn’t your issue to deal with. It still isn’t. This is all on me, and I have to cope with it myself. I deserve this.”

Chloe shook her head, moving the chair closer to the bed before taking Beca’s hand in hers. “Just because you think you deserve it, doesn’t mean you have to go this alone. You have me. I am not going anywhere. I want to take care of you, Beca, and help you get better. I want you to let me in. Please.”

Beca shook her head, leaning against the pillow again.

“At least tell me why you are still in the hospital.”

“Complications. I had a lot of blood loss. Luke said they had to give me a transfusion. I have three more days before I can leave. I.. I haven’t seen Luke in two days,” she added, her voice quiet. “I don’t think he can look at me. I am just a reminder of what he lost.”

“Are you going back to his apartment?” she asked, bringing Beca’s hand to her lips.

“My dad wants me to come stay at his house for a while. I don’t want to be there. Sheila said a lot of things that really hurt me. I knew she was a bitch. She said I should have gotten rid of the baby. Maybe she is happy now.”

Chloe frowned. “I will be back in the morning to see you, okay? I promise.”

Beca nodded, closing her eyes. Chloe stood up, placing a soft kiss on Beca’s forehead before leaving the room. She got in her car, prepared to go back to the station, but instead found herself in front of Beca’s dads house. She slowly approached, knocking on the door. She had never met Sheila, and had only talked to Warren in passing. The door opened, Warren stepping side. “Chloe, I didn’t know you were in town,” he said, leading her to the living room.

“I came in to surprise Beca, and I saw Luke at the station and I was the one surprised with the news that Beca was in the hospital. I went and saw her, and she told me everything.” She sat down on the couch, looking at her hands. “She is blaming herself, and I feel horrible because part of me is mad at her.”

“You shouldn’t feel horrible for having emotions,” he replied.

Chloe nodded. “I know. But it doesn’t make it any easier to brush off. She said that you wanted her to come stay here?”

“Yeah. I mean, I won’t be here during the day, but I don’t know what it would do to her mental state if she were in that apartment.”

“She doesn’t want to be around Sheila.”

Warren let a sad smile cross his face. “Sheila isn’t here,” he said, his voice soft. “I asked her to go stay elsewhere for a while. She said some things about Beca that I really didn’t like, and I think she needs to take some time and think about what she wants because my daughter will always come first to me. I wish I could make her and Beca get along, but I don’t think that is ever going to happen.” He stood up, walking into the kitchen. “Would you like some tea?” he asked, looking over his shoulder.

“That would be amazing,” Chloe responded, smiling at him. She got up from her spot on the couch, looking at the photographs that lined the mantel over the fireplace. She had never been inside the house for more than a few minutes. She couldn’t stop the smile on her face when she came across Beca’s graduation photo. There was an actual smile on the younger girls face. It was an actual smile that stretched ear to ear, her hand raised to brush the tassel from her cap out of her face. The usual one-size-fits-all gown looked more like a blanket draped over her small frame, but Chloe only found the image that much more beautiful.

There were other pictures, Chloe deciding her favorite was a five year old Beca, sitting on her dads shoulders. Warren had his head turned up, smiling at her, and she was looking down at him like he was the greatest person she had ever seen. “Her school had this little kindergarten graduation thing,” Warren said, moving next to Chloe and handing her a mug. “They made these paper caps, but I don’t know where Beca’s went. She was so excited about the prospect of first grade. She was the only kid in her class that could count higher than one hundred. I think that is still one of her proudest moments.”

“The Beca I know hates going to class and learning,” Chloe said, smiling.

Warren returned to the couch, Chloe joining him, sipping slowly at her tea. “Despite the front she puts up, she loves school. She was always up on time, and as she got older, she would make toast and eggs and have them ready for me when I got into the kitchen. She wasn’t exactly a straight-A student, but her grades were good and she made an effort. It just started to go downhill when her mother and I started fighting.” He was silent for a moment. “Looking back, we really could have picked better times to fight. While she was at school or over at friends houses.”

“Beca had friends?” Chloe asked, a smile on her face.

“Believe it or not, she had quite a few. Her mother and I split up when she was thirteen. It was the summer before she started high school. It was hard on her, because I almost immediately moved down here because I was offered the job at Barden, and she stayed in Oregon with her mom. I know she felt like I abandoned her, and on some level, I think I did. She was hurt, so for the first few months, I tried to call but she never wanted to talk so I just gave up because it was easier. I never stopped caring about her.”

“She seemed to have thought that.”

He nodded. “I still kept in contact with her mother. I helped them out in any way I could. All of that DJ stuff she has? I made sure she could have that. She thinks I wanted to stop her dreams of going to Los Angeles by making her go to college, but I just want to make sure she can have something to fall back in in case this doesn’t work. That doesn’t make me an awful, uncaring father, right?”

“I think it is a very logical idea. Beca is good at music, but that doesn’t mean she is the best. When she told me that she was going to stay at Barden, it made it so hard for me to still move up to Chicago. I didn’t want to leave her. I could tell something was going on, but she was shutting me out and I didn’t know what else to do. So I walked away.” She closed her eyes, shaking her head. “No wonder she hates me now.”

“She doesn’t hate you,” he said. “Trust me. I have been on the receiving end of the hate. She was just hurt. I know she was scared. Luke called me the other day -- they were already at the hospital -- and he couldn’t even get the full story out. All I got was Beca, Emory and hurry. He was a wreck.”

“What exactly happened?”

“I guess she woke up, and she was bleeding really badly. Luke said she had lost consciousness by the time the paramedics got to the apartment. She had lost a lot of blood. The doctor guessed the bleeding had started before she woke up, which is why it was so bad. There had been warning signs of the miscarriage, but I don’t think that registered to her since all of her appointments said he was healthy.”

Chloe set the mug down on the table, leaning forward. “I’m not going back to Chicago.”

Warren was silent for a moment. “Do you have a place to stay?”

“I was going to get a hotel room.”

He shook his head. “I have plenty of room here. You can stay and maybe that will help with getting Beca to come here. I already talked it over with Luke and he thinks that is best. He has been staying here, too. I had to go to their apartment to get their things. He can’t set foot in there right now. He has been throwing himself into working at the station, and I don’t think he has gone to see Beca.”

“She believes that he can’t even look at her because she is a reminder of what they lost.”

“People grieve in their own way. He told me he wants to see her, and he will be there when she is released, but right now he is still hurting. I don’t blame him. I think that Beca is going to need him, and my only fear is that he won’t be able to be there for her.”

“She has us.”

“She won’t accept us.”

Chloe didn’t even open her mouth to respond. He was right. She was going to want Luke to help her through this and there was nothing either of them could say to change her mind.


	7. Chapter 7

Chloe stood behind Beca and Luke, watching them. “Are you sure you are ready?” she asked, putting her hand on Beca’s lower back and looking at Luke. He nodded, reaching out to open the apartment door. Beca stayed put, watching Luke step into the apartment. He turned to look at them, holding his hand out to Beca. She took it, slowly, and stepped into the apartment. “I’ll be right here,” she said, watching the two move slowly towards the hallway.

Luke watched as Beca headed towards the bedroom. He stopped outside the door to the spare room, taking in a deep breath before pushing it open. His heart felt like it ceased all movement as he looked around the room. Taking a few steps in, he let the tears in his eyes fall. He stepped to the crib, reaching to the wall and letting his fingers run over the name. It was like something in him snapped at that moment and he grabbed the edge of the crib, pulling until he knocked it over.

The dresser was next. Then it was just a matter of what he could throw to cause maximum destruction. He could feel his heart breaking, pieces falling with each bang or crash he made. He leaned against the wall, sliding down, putting his face in his hands. “Luke!” Beca cried, kneeling in front of him. He roughly pushed her back.

“This is all your fault!” he yelled. “You didn’t want this! Are you happy, Beca? Are you fucking happy now?”

She sat back, searching his face. “No,” she whispered. “Why would I be happy about this?”

“Because you are free!” he yelled. “I can’t even fucking look at you right now.”

Beca nodded, slowly standing up. “Okay. If that is how you want to get through this, I am not going to fight you on it. Just.. tell me you want me out of your life, and I am gone.”

“Get the fuck out,” he snapped, keeping his hands over his eyes. Beca turned, shoving her way past Chloe. The redhead wanted to chase after her, but she instead focused her efforts on the crying form of Luke.

“Luke,” she said, her voice soft. She sat down on the floor, putting her hands on her knees. “Look at me.”

He rested his head against the wall, his eyes meeting hers.

“Do you realize what you just said to Beca?”

He remained silent.

“She needs you, Luke. I want to run after her and love her and be there for her, but I am not what she needs. You are both so broken right now, and you need to be helping her instead of pushing her away. She isn’t okay, and you and I both know that. This hit her harder than she ever expected it to and the last thing she needs is you shutting her out. As much as it kills me, I can’t help her.”

“How can I help her if I am hurting?” he asked, his voice hoarse.

“You be there for her. You can hurt together, because you are both hurting over the same thing. Will you be fine to stay here or do you want to go to my hotel room?” she asked, helping him stand up.

“Hotel.”

She nodded, pulling the spare room key from her pocket. “Holiday Inn, room 212. I’ll go find Beca and bring her by, okay?”

He nodded, wrapping his arms around her tightly for a moment. “Thank you, Chloe. For being here for her. For us.”

Chloe returned the hug. “Beca is my.. everything.. even if she doesn’t know that yet, and you know me, Luke. How many classes did we have together over four years? I care about you, too.”

He let go of her, leading the way out of the apartment. She watched as he headed to his car. “Beca, where would you go?” she mumbled, racking her brain for where the younger woman might have run off to. Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she pulled it out, seeing a text message from Warren.

_Beca’s here. She is asking for you._

It took her almost an hour to get to the house, remembering that her car was at the hotel. She paced her walk, trying to think of how to get Beca to go see Luke. When she knocked on the door, Warren opened it, ushering her in. “She won’t tell me what happened,” he said, shaking his head. “She is upstairs, first door on the left.”

“We went to the apartment,” Chloe said, stopping three steps up. “She had gone into their bedroom, and Luke went into the nursery. He broke down and when she tried to comfort him, he said some things he didn’t mean. I am going to get her to come back to my hotel, where Luke is, so they can talk this out.” She continued up the steps, letting herself into the bedroom. Beca was curled up on the bed, still crying. Chloe slid off her sneakers, climbing onto the bed behind her and pulling her close. “I’m here,” she whispered.

“How could he say that to me?” she choked out, pulling Chloe’s arms tightly around her.

“He is hurting, Beca. You both are. I told him the same thing I am about to tell you, okay? You need to be together through this. He didn’t understand fully what he had said until I calmed him down. He is at the hotel, and I want you to come back there, so you two can start to help each other, okay?”

Beca turned over, leaning in. “I am going to do something right now, and I don’t want to hear you tell me I am not ready or I should be thinking about other things, okay?”

Chloe nodded.

The brunette took a deep breath, pressing her lips to Chloe’s. After a moment, she pulled back. “I want you to be my girlfriend. You know all my secrets, Chloe, and I just.. I want you as mine. I want to be able to hold you and kiss you and be with you, even while I am trying to stop hurting. Would you believe me if I said I talked this over with Luke a few weeks ago? He was encouraging me to let you know. But, then I lost the baby..”

The redhead smiled, pressing her lips to Beca’s again. “Nothing would make me happier. Things are going to be okay, Beca, I promise that. You and Luke are going to talk this out and I can sit back and watch as my friend and my girlfriend try to piece their lives back together. I don’t know any other ways that I can help besides letting the both of you know that I am there, but I am here. I will always be here.”

“It’s unfair to Luke that I get a happy ending,” she whispered.

* * *

 

Chloe sat down on one of the chairs around the pool, watching Beca and Luke. It had been a grueling month filled with finding an apartment, but she had a nice two-bedroom place that had her and Beca in the master bedroom and Luke is the second room. It had a nice indoor pool, and that was how she found herself watching the two try to dunk each other. “You act like children!” she called out, laughing.

“You should join us!” Luke called back, grabbing Beca by the waist and tossing her into the water a few feet away.

She held up her phone. “I have to make a phone call, but then I will think about it.” She scrolled through her contacts, settling on Aubrey’s number before pressing the phone to her ear. When the phone connected, she couldn’t ignore the tears she heard on her friends end. “Bree, what’s wrong?”

“Chloe? Hey.. I’m fine. I just..” There was the sound of a car door before Aubrey sniffed. “Do you have room for me?” she asked. “I just.. I need out of here. I am sick of constantly fighting with her. I’m gone and I am done and I just need somewhere to go.”

“Of course, Bree. We can make room for you, I promise,” she says.

“Good. I’ll see you in a couple days, okay?”

“I love you, Bree.” She ended the call, setting her phone on the table next to her and kicking off her sandals. She pulled off the long shirt she was wearing and easily jumped into the pool, swimming towards Beca and Luke. “So, Luke, would you hate me if I said you had to sleep on the couch for a while?” she asked, smiling as Beca wrapped her arms around her shoulders.

“Why’s that?” he asked, laughing as Beca splashed him.

“I guess Aubrey left Alice. She is driving down and she needs a place to stay. She said something about tired of the fighting so she was leaving. I am going to have to fight the urge to tell her that I told her so, because I knew they would never work. They were fighting long before I came back down here.”

“Always thought those two were a weird pairing,” Luke said, floating away from the two women. “Remember that one time Aubrey actually let me take her on a date?”

“And you were so nervous that you spilled your water on her?” Chloe asked, laughing. “That went over so well, didn’t it?”

“I think if she would have listened to my awkward apology, it could have worked.”

“You two are weird,” Beca said, placing a kiss on the side of Chloe’s head. “Such weirdos.”

“But, dear Beca,” Luke said, heading back over to them. “We are your weirdos!”


End file.
